Federal auto safety officials are taking a hard look at Rivian after reports that a rear suspension part can let go while the vehicle is moving and send it drifting across traffic lanes.
Regulators have opened a preliminary probe into nearly 115,000 Rivian R1 pickup trucks and SUVs, focusing on the rear toe-link joint in model years 2022 to 2025 R1T and R1S vehicles. The review follows owner complaints that include at least one crash report tied to the issue.
What NHTSA Is Investigating
As reported by Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation opened a Preliminary Evaluation covering roughly 114,922 vehicles after receiving two Vehicle Owner Questionnaires.
Investigators gathered repair histories, on-board video, and a police accident report tied to the complaints. They will now examine whether the rear toe-link joint is overly vulnerable to normal road conditions and service practices, and whether Rivian’s current repair procedure does enough to address the risk.
Recall History And Technical Background
Rivian previously launched a recall in January that targeted about 19,641 R1 vehicles that had already been in for service. Recall filings with NHTSA state that the remedy involved replacing rear toe-link bolts at no cost to owners.
Those filings explain that the recall population was defined using service records tied to an older repair procedure that was in place before March 10, 2025. Rivian reported that it updated the service process after identifying a small number of failures.
Rivian’s Response
In an emailed statement quoted by Reuters, Rivian said it is cooperating with NHTSA’s preliminary evaluation and that its internal data show the R1 toe-link joints operating as designed.
The company told investigators it has not found evidence that the joint itself was at fault in the two owner questionnaires that triggered the federal review.
Why This Matters Now
The new probe significantly widens the pool of vehicles under the microscope compared with the January recall and lands at a sensitive moment for the young automaker. Rivian is preparing to begin deliveries of its smaller, higher-volume R2 SUV in early June, a launch analysts say is critical for boosting sales.
TechCrunch reported that Rivian plans its first R2 customer deliveries on June 9, and industry watchers warn that any new safety action could tangle production and delivery schedules. Crain's Chicago Business noted that the regulatory spotlight comes as the company is already drawing attention from Bloomberg’s reporting.
Legal And Safety Implications
A Preliminary Evaluation is the opening stage of NHTSA’s defects process. It typically involves formal data requests, vehicle inspections and detailed technical analysis. Agency documents show that these evaluations can be closed with no further action or escalated into a deeper Engineering Analysis if officials see cause to dig in.
If investigators eventually determine there is a safety defect or that Rivian’s earlier fix fell short, NHTSA can push the company to expand an existing recall, adopt a different remedy, or face other enforcement steps. In that case, owners would receive notifications and see updated guidance posted on NHTSA’s recall pages.
